OPELIKA — The smell of grilling hamburgers and sounds of an acoustic guitar waft through the air as Alabamians gather to play cornhole, catch up with friends and, ultimately, discuss politics.

This is a typical campaign event for Mallory Hagan, the Democratic candidate for Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District, who has built her platform on listening to voters through such events.

“I think we’ve come to this place in politics where our representatives don’t feel as though the average everyday citizen deserves their time and energy,” Hagan said. “I have been traveling up and down the district and listening.”

Hagan will run against Republican incumbent Mike Rogers in the general election on Nov. 6. The former Miss America and Opelika native is a newcomer to the political world and believes she can appeal to Alabamians from either side of the political aisle.

“I think I’m a different type of candidate, yet I still offer some of the things people find attractive about President Trump,” Hagan said. “I am a political outsider, I am also tired of petty politics and I’m tired of career politicians.”

According to Hagan, her campaign focuses on creating a better future for today’s children through creating accessible health care, higher quality education and equality.

“I don’t think we need to place limits on guns, but we need to be smarter about how people access guns,” Hagan said. “I’m a strong supporter of a universal background check.”

She may be seen as an underdog in this race against Rogers, who has held the seat since 2003, but Hagan sees herself as the right candidate to defeat him.

“Congressman Rogers has only sponsored one bill in 16 years,” Hagan said. “I think what I’ve demonstrated is that I may not have 16 years in office, but I’ve had 16 years of being a public advocate.”

Hagan started advocating for arts education in schools at the age of 13. She later went on to work with several non-profit organizations as Miss America.

“I got involved in politics during my year as Miss America by working with the National Children’s Alliance and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children lobbying Congress,” Hagan said.

She also credits Miss America to giving her a heightened ability to handle criticism, something she says is also important in the political world. In late 2017, controversial emails by Miss America CEO Sam Haskell, where he attacked Hagan and several other former Miss Americas’ bodies and sex lives, were exposed to the world.

With her opponent being the incumbent and having more financial support, many political pundits have labeled the 3rd District safe for Republicans. To them, she references the primary election defeat of powerful Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley in New York.

“Twenty-year incumbent, million dollars in the bank, beat by a young woman who was willing to work harder and show up,” Hagan said.

2018 is being predicted as a big year for Democratic women in politics, with many running similar campaigns to Hagan’s against male incumbents. Getting more young people in politics has also been a big discussion point, so 29-year-old Hagan’s run coincides with a larger nationwide movement.

“There are only four women under 40 in Congress, so I felt like this was the perfect time to throw my hat in the race,” Hagan said.

Editor’s note: The Montgomery Advertiser has partnered with Auburn University’s journalism department to provide more coverage of the upcoming election. Students are profiling some of the state office candidates for the newspaper, and they will be covering several races on Election Day.